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EOS Shakes Up the Oral Care Industry

Just as Chapstick and Blistex were getting comfortable, EOS (Evolution of Smooth) emerged to shake up the oral care industry. Co-founders Sanjiv Mehra and Jonathan Teller saw an opening in the lip balm market and immediately swooped in to fill it. “It appeared to us that everybody in this category was being lazy. That was an opportunity,” Teller said.

Taking the number two spot behind Burt Bees, Mehra and Teller shared how they shook up the multibillion-dollar oral care industry with Fast Company. Before EOS lip balm, price points drove the industry. In their research, the company found that women used lip balm out of necessity. In other words, it was part of their daily routine. They didn’t care much for the ingredients, taste, or its packaging.

Mehra and Teller knew women would take pleasure in applying a salve to their lips that enhanced their routine. As a result, they came up with a soft, colorful orb that smells good and tastes delicious.

That was seven years ago. Today, EOS moves over a million units a week at stores like Walgreens, Target, and Walmart. It has the stamp of approval of beauty editors at Cosmo and Allure. And had feature spots in videos of big name celebrities like Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus.

EOS continuously adds products to its repertoire to keep the industry on its toes and keep millennials happy.